n. In music, an instrument of the pipe kind, in which the tone is produced by the impact of a current of air upon the edge of a hole in the side of a tube. See pipe, fife.n. Specifically— In ancient music, a direct flute with a conical wooden tube having a varying number of finger-holes. Sometimes two tubes were attached to one mouthpiece.n. In medieval music, one of a family of direct flutes, comprising treble, alto, tenor, and bass varieties, all having conical wooden tubes with several finger-holes. The modern flageolet and the penny whistle are derivatives of the treble kind.n. In modern music, a transverse flute, having a conical or cylindrical wooden or metal tube with holes controlled in part by levers, and having a compass of about three octaves upward from middle C: also called the German flute. The change from the medieval direct flutes took place early in the eighteenth century. The best model for orchestral use was invented by Theobald Boehm in 1832. The piccolo-flute or piccolo is a flute giving toues an octave higher than the ordinary flute.n. In organ-building, a stop with stopped wooden pipes, having a flute-like tone, usually of four-foot pitch.n. In architecture, one of a series of curved furrows, usually semicircular in plan, of which each is separated from the next by a narrow fillet.n. A similar groove in any material, as in a woman's ruffle.n. In decorative art, a concave depression relatively long and of any form, the sides not necessarily parallel. Compare gadroon.n. A kind of long, thin French roll.n. A shuttle used in tapestry-weaving. A separate shuttle is employed for each color of which the woof is composed.n. A tall and very narrow wine-glass, used especially for sparkling wines. Also called flute-glass.To play on a flute; produce a soft, clear note like that of a flute.To play or sing softly and clearly in notes resembling those of a flute.To form flutes or grooves in, as in a ruffle. See gauffer.n. A long vessel or boat, with flat ribs or floor-timbers, round behind and swelling in the middle.n. and The variety of names applied both to flutes proper and to fluty stops in the organ is very great. Thus the older direct flutes are also called straight, à-bec, or beaked: these were made in different sizes, with different fundamental tones, and were then distinguished as discant, alto, tenor, and bass flutes. The transverse flute is also called traverse flute, flute douce, flauto traverse, flute traversière, German flute, cross-flute, etc. In the modern orchestra, besides the standard flute in C, the smaller size, called the octave or piccolo flute, is used; but in military bands several varieties are found, as the terz or tierce flute, and the fourth or quart flute, the fundamental tones of which are , and F respectively. The old flute d'armour was an alto flute, its fundamental tone being A. Organ-stops of a fluty tone are of two kinds, with stopped or with open pipes and belonging properly to the stopped diapason and the open diapason classes respectively (see diapason). Unfortunately, most of the names used for these stops either have no fixed and recognized meaning or are purely fanciful.n. In organ-building, a flue-stop with open metal pipes of narrow measure and penetrating tone.
